Sunday, October 04, 2009

My attempts at money management

I recently discovered that I have been bleeding money out of my ears every day. I have taken the following measures to stanch the flow of money/blood:
  • Gotten an account at Mint.com, a website that syncs up with your bank and credit card accounts and shows you how you are doing with respect to your budgets. Thanks, Joe Near, for showing me this site!
  • Started following the advice of the Tight Fist (thanks, Eugene), a great tongue-in-cheek blog about how to save money. (I have been thinking quite seriously about their advice about how using too much soap just makes you need other things more, like moisturizer... If you give a mouse a cookie...)
  • Stopped shopping at Whole Foods/Harvest and started shopping at Star Market. This, combined with a reduction of variety in my diet to the staples of tofu sausage, eggs, noodles, vegetables, and fruits, saves me multiple 10's of dollars on groceries per week now.
  • Stopped buying random things I don't use full price from the internet. The next step will be finding deals when I need them... (I am currently operating under the assumption that I will not require anything new--this is not sustainable.)
Next on my list: using the library instead of buying 10,000 books / year.

I am still not to good at this thing, so please give me tips! :)

9 comments:

Jeremy H said...

Haymarket is also a great way to get your fruits and veggies for cheap.

e said...

I'll hold on to your money and dole it out in small chunks.

Claire said...

Seriously, stay out of Whole Foods. It's amazing how expensive it is. Get one of those membership cards from Star Market, too; they're free and save you a few bucks every week. Get one of those credit cards that gets you frequent flier miles. Buy home supplies (paper goods, etc) in ridiculously large quantities from Walmart. Ergh, you don't have a car, do you? Well, the last one's out, then...don't buy random stuff full-price on the internet. Ebay is pretty awesome, to that end. :-) What else? I guess I accept free clothing from my stepmother, but that's a little harder for you. Eat a lot of leftovers.

Just off the top of my head. *grin*

Claire said...

Also: OMG, mint.com. I started there on your recommendation and now I'm hooked.

Jie said...

Couple interesting blogs

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/
http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/
(also book)
http://www.5dollardinners.com/

Rahul said...

If you have a car, or can otherwise do it, Market Basket is preferable to Shaw's/Star. Better produce, and cheaper!

Claire said...

Oh! And it should be a given, but always pack your lunch, and never buy coffee or related drinks. I personally try not to eat out unless it's really special/something I can't make myself.

Talking Brains said...

The annual Life Is Beautiful Festival, held in downtown Las Vegas from September 16 to 18, appeals to practically all of the senses. Each year, guests may hear music and comedy from numerous stages, view new murals and other artwork, and smell and taste the strong food and beverage selections.

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